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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917417">partners in crime in the dead of night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightcanary/pseuds/moonlightcanary'>moonlightcanary</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tog prompt fills [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Humor, Joe &amp; Booker are chaotic brothers, M/M, Nicky is tired but also endlessly in love with Joe, Pre-Canon, Set Vaguely in the 80s maybe, mentions of shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:07:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917417</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightcanary/pseuds/moonlightcanary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was roughly around two am when Nicolò- or <em> Nicky </em> as he was now going by- was pulled from his book by the sound of laughter and the door opening. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Booker | Sebastien le Livre &amp; Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tog prompt fills [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>192</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>partners in crime in the dead of night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>okay so the prompt was originally  “Stop pulling heroic shit when I’m not around to talk you out of it.” + joenicky but the brain creates what the brain wants so it ended up being more like "stop getting yourself into trouble when i'm not around to get you out of it."<br/>Enjoy!</p><p>(title from Bastille's <em>Nocturnal Creatures</em>)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was roughly around two am when Nicolò- or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nicky</span>
  </em>
  <span> as he was now going by- was pulled from his book by the sound of laughter and the door opening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dear Yusuf- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joe</span>
  </em>
  <span>- came through the doorway, Booker shuffling in after him. They were both laughing- well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joe</span>
  </em>
  <span> was laughing, his full bodied laugh that warms the ears of everyone who is lucky enough to hear it, and Booker was </span>
  <em>
    <span>grinning</span>
  </em>
  <span>- Nicky wasn’t sure he had ever seen such a wide smile on the frenchman’s face in the nearly two hundred years of knowing him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re out late,” Nicky mused, arching an eyebrow at the pair, though his own small smile tugging at his lips was sure to give away the pure lack of actual accusation in his words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe met Nicky’s gaze, and his own smile seemed to only grow wider as he did so, “I would’ve phoned to tell you not to stay up, if I didn’t know it would be a complete waste of coin.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which he forgot to bring with him,” Booker added with a roll of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe gave Booker an offended glare, “I am nearly a millennia old, I think I am entitled to the occasional slip of the mind.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just reliant on Nicky carrying everything you might possibly need for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe clutched at his own chest, gasping dramatically, “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>wound</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. Nicolò, defend my honor.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yusuf, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amore</span>
  </em>
  <span>, my dearest heart, I will defend your honor until my final breath-” Nicky paused, carefully placing a bookmark in his book and setting it aside- “but I’m afraid your </span>
  <em>
    <span>fratello</span>
  </em>
  <span> knows you well.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe brought his other hand to his chest, “Is Andy waiting around the corner to attack me as well? As it seems my whole family is out to get me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky stood and stretched, “Andy left not long after you two- </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> told me not to wait up, I suspect she is seeking out… </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> company tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> been a while since she has… sought out</span>
  <em>
    <span> other company</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Joe said, rubbing thoughtfully at his beard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Booker groaned, scrubbing a hand across his face, “Oh, so you have modesty when it comes to referring to Andy’s sex life, but cannot spare any for your own?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s correct.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky stretched again and stifled a yawn, “While I don’t mind your late night adventures- and the subsequent bickering, now that you are both home, I think I would like to go to bed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course my heart-” Joe moved towards Nicky, wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist and pressing a kiss to his forehead- “thank you for your patience, of which is abundant. I know you are not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘night owl’</span>
  </em>
  <span> as the kids are saying these days, but perhaps we can sleep in tomorrow? Enjoy a lazy morning in bed?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be nice,” Nicky murmured, burying his nose into Joe’s shoulder and breathing in the other man’s scent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused when he notes a distinct lack of alcohol smell- Joe and Booker’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>late night adventures</span>
  </em>
  <span> almost always included them ending up in a bar at some point. He retracted his face from Joe’s shoulder just enough to take a good look at Booker- realizing that the frenchman appeared to be… mostly sober. </span>
</p><p><span>“What… exactly did</span> <span>you two </span><em><span>do</span></em><span> tonight?” </span></p><p>
  <span>He’s leaned back now so he can look at both men with raised eyebrows. They glance to each other before looking to Nicky with wide- </span>
  <em>
    <span>mischievous</span>
  </em>
  <span> grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you know,” Joe said, his tone dangerously casual- a skill he’s had nine hundred years to master, “a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky narrowed his eyes, he knows his husband won’t cave- again, a nine hundred year old skill he’s mastered- so Booker is the subject to his intense stare, “Why do I get the sense it is a little more than </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘just a bit’</span>
  </em>
  <span> of this and that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did we agree upon about </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘not giving our new brother your death glare’</span>
  </em>
  <span> all those decades ago, Nicolò?” Joe chastised, gently placing a palm on Nicky’s cheek, “Besides, we didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>technically</span>
  </em>
  <span> commit any crimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky and Booker both spoke at once-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Technically</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Breaking into a museum is definitely considered a crime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky eyebrows managed to shoot higher across his forehead, “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>broke into a museum</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe managed to shrug without releasing his arms from Nicky’s waist, “I prefer the term </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘let ourselves in,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> seeing as nothing was actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>broken.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>broke that picture frame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe was absolutely giving Booker his own version of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘death glare’</span>
  </em>
  <span> now, “I seem to remembered that this had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Booker raised both his hands in mock surrender, “All I remember saying is that the museum’s security was extremely lax- most places these days </span>
  <em>
    <span>at least</span>
  </em>
  <span> have security cameras- and that it would almost be </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> easy to break in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funny, because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> remembering you suggesting we test that theory out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> drawing we stole-”</span>
</p><p><span>“Wait,” Nicky interjected, waving his hands between the two- it was decidedly </span><em><span>too early</span></em> <em><span>in the morning </span></em><span>for him to be dealing with this, “you </span><em><span>stole</span></em><span> something from the museum?”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Of course not- it’s not ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>stealing’</span>
  </em>
  <span> when it is your own work that you are liberating,” Joe said, like this was the simplest of conclusions, “honestly, it wouldn’t have bothered me if some </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span> hadn’t taken credit for it upon giving it to the museum. You know how I feel about people claiming another’s art as their own. And I must admit it’s one of my better drawings, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s a given, seeing as </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> you create is one of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘better drawings.’</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky had meant to keep up a stern exterior for </span>
  <em>
    <span>at least</span>
  </em>
  <span> a little bit longer, but he could never resist a chance to compliment his husband- and the soft smile he gets in return is </span>
  <em>
    <span>well</span>
  </em>
  <span> worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are too kind, my heart,” Joe whispered, leaning his head in towards Nicky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you, there is no such thing,” Nicky replied, before bridging the small distance between them and pressing their lips together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, suddenly I’m feeling very tired,” Booker interrupted, with a very loud- and very </span>
  <em>
    <span>fake</span>
  </em>
  <span>- yawn, “I think I am going to hit the sack. It was a pleasure to steal with you, Joe- we should do it again sometime. Goodnight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Booker left the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmm, you know...</span>
  <em>
    <span>‘hitting the sack’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>does sound rather appealing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their eyes are both closed, foreheads resting against each other, but Nicky can </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> Joe’s smirk, picture the wink that normally accompanies such flirtations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky drew in a long, slow breath, “Mmm, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sleeping</span>
  </em>
  <span> does sound good.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe laughed softly, “I suppose it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> late.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very, and it sounds like you already had quite the eventful night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe drew back from Nicky very suddenly, and Nicky huffed unhappily at the lack of contact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Would you like to see? I mean, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> the subject of said drawing, after all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky raised an eyebrow, “I hope it’s one of your tamer works, then, to have been in a museum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no worse than the statue that you let Michelangelo model after you that sits in a museum for all eyes to see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, so it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> one of your tamer works.” Nicky paused and squinted at Joe, “...please tell me you do not have plans to steal </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Joe scratched at his beard, “I hadn’t thought of that, but I bet Booker would find it a fun challenge.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky let out a sigh, pulling Joe into his arms, “Promise me one thing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amore</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe leaned into Nicky, letting their foreheads meet again, “Anything, my heart.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop getting yourself into trouble when I’m not there to get you out of it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joe nuzzled against Nicky’s nose, “Is this your way of offering to help steal the statue of your body?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nicky laughed softly, “Ask me again in the morning.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>links appear to be broken on ao3 so if you would like to see the tumblr post you can just copy &amp; paste this into ur browser: https://moonlightandromache.tumblr.com/post/631427592293171200/158-stop-pulling-heroic-shit-when-im-not-around</p><p>thank you for reading! kudos/comments make my day! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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